Androon Shehr
Androon Shehr, also known to outsiders as the Walled City of Lahore or the Old City, is a fortified settlement in the metropolitan area of Lahore. This massive city was reduced to ashes in the Great War with few structures standing. The Pakistani people were strong and the blasts could not drive them from their homes. While the city fractured into smaller camps and settlements the old section of Lahore remained cohesive. The ancient seat of power of Mughal Kings is now occupied by the Pushtun Emir Hamid Zahir. This afghan warlord has an uneasy truce with the Pakistani people in the greater Lahore area. His rule is administered through his cabinet of ministers and his Taluqdar guerrilla leaders that control the city gates. While the Taluqdars hate each other, when the Emir mobilizes them he can raise significant levies of raiders to push into Sikh held Punjab. Origins Androon Shehr's history traces back beyond classical history and into oral tradition. It was said to be founded by an ancient family of princes that would in later generations be worshiped as gods. The current residents have largely brushed off such practices as ancient superstition, giving themselves fully to Allah. The city thrived on trade, being at the intersection of important rivers in a somewhat arid environment. The city has historically changed hands many times as the Punjabi region is the entryway for most invaders into India. This has been true from as far back as the ancient Greeks, all the way forward to the Mughal invasions. The region was a frequent target of early Muslim dynasties during the early days of Muslim conquest. The Mughals were not the first Muslims to invade Punjab, but they left the largest legacy on Androon Shehr. The Governor of Punjab has a hand in setting those events into motion. At the time the province of Punjab was ruled by a Sultan so loathed that the nobles preferred to be invaded by Mongols. There were several invasions into India by Mongols, one of which erased Androon Shehr from the map completely, as the hordes destroyed every structure and but the population to the sword. Eventually the rulers in Dehli were defeated by the hordes and the Mughal Empire was formed. The city's famed walls are a lasting gift of the Mughals that made the rebuilt city their capital. Mughal Rule Following the successful Mongol incursions in 1524 Lahore was part of the Mughal Empire. Lahore grew under the careful administration of the emperors, who used the city as their empire's capital. During the rule of the Mughals Lahore reached the peak of its architectural glory. These Mughal buildings and gardens have survived the ravages of time, even the destruction from nuclear war. From these buildings and gardens Lahore developed a reputation for beauty, fascinating artists over the centuries. During this time, the massive Lahore Fort was built, which serves as the Emir's palace today. Mughal power dwindled during the 17th century, resulting in frequent invasions of Lahore. The 1740s were years of chaos as government authority was nonexistent. These invasions and chaos were prime opportunities for bands of warring Sikhs that sought to gain control of more territory. These Sikh assaults were very successful and by 1801 a new Sikh empire ruled by Maharaja Ranjit Singh controlled Lahore. Sikh Era to Great War The important part of the city's history is that the conflict between the Sikhs and Islam today is just a continuation of a centuries-long conflict. The Sikh's ruled the city until they were defeated by the British. The colonial administrators were not concerned with religious or ethnic differences and ruled the area as a cohesive whole. This lasted until the British were driven out of India and the state divided into India and Pakistan. From there the conflict between Islam and Sikhs and Hindus continued until a cease-fire firmly established Lahore as a part of Islamic Pakistan. Aside from the occasional dust up or border skirmish, peace would rule the city until the Great War burned everything to ashes. Aftermath of the War In the nuclear exchange the great city of Lahore was bathed in fire. The great metropolitan area was reduced to a shell of its former self. In the years that followed the government of Pakistan would attempt to reclaim its territory and administer itself through what means it had left. It would be faced with upstart warlords, Afghan and Indian raiders, and crippling bureaucracy. These problems were not unique to just Pakistan, every country on the planet was faced with these neigh impossible problems. After a century or so of civil war and invasions, the country ceased to exist in any meaningful form, just like every other country. It was in those chaotic times that an Afghan nomad named Ronaldo Zahir launched an invasion against city of Lahore. At the time it was controlled by Sikh's from the The Golden City. Using sheer numbers and the last of their Soviet military equipment the Afghani warlord began what would later be called The Liberation War. It was a quick but bloody siege, the Sikhs were expecting retaliation from the remnants of Pakistan to the south and never saw the Afghans coming. Zahir decided to hold the fortress of Lahore for himself as its Emir and renamed the city its Islamic name Androon Shehr. All Sikhs were forcibly removed from the city and a long protracted history of conflict started between the Emir and the Sikhs in the Golden Temple. Geography Category:Places Category:Pakistan Category:Adoptable